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Montag, 11. März 2019

Inclination towards Short Rows

It's always fun to knit socks, and I usually like to try out new ideas to make them more interesting - especially if it makes the self-striping sock yarn stand out in an interesting manner. So this time, I tried again to create a pattern with short rows. Other sock patterns with short rows are my Tipsy Toe Socks, Tipsy Toe Socks 2.0 and Klecks Socks.

This is NOT a complete row-by-row knitting pattern, but just a rough sketch to enable you to knit a similar pair for yourself. It assumes that you have a rough idea of how to knit socks and especially that you know how to do a heel.

Shadow Wrap Short Rows - used throughout the pattern: as shown in this YouTube video by Lee Meredith. A video by Miriam Felton that shows how to do a heel with shadow wraps can be found here on YouTube. However, the heel knitted here is knitted slightly different because here there are two rounds between the two parts of the heel, i.e. there won't be any triple stitches.

Knitting the Shadow Wraps: In a knit row (i.e. you're knitting on the outside of your socks), you knit up to the stitch where you want to turn, and then knit into the stitch in the row below, i.e. you insert the right hand needle from the front into the stitch below the next stitch and pull your working yarn through. Then you put the loop onto the left hand needle (creating a double stitch from the stitch below) - keeping the yarn on the back. Then you turn and your yarn is now in front, tighten it to make sure that all stitches have the same size and start to purl in the opposite direction. This sequence (knitting int the stitch below and turning) will be called kbelow in the pattern.If you're in a purl row, you purl into the stitch of the row below, i.e. insert the right hand needle from the back into the stitch below and draw your yarn through and put the stitch onto your left hand needle - creating a double stitch. The yarn is in front while you're doing this. Turn your work. The yarn is now on the back of your knitting. Make sure that the stitch is as tight as the other stitches on your needles and start knitting in the opposite direction. This sequence will be called pbelow in the pattern.

Knitting the double stitch.: When you come to a double stitch you can simply knit / purl it as one. This looks well when you're working it in the same direction it was created (i.e. the double stitch was created in a purl row and is also worked in a purl row). However, when you have to knit a double stitch that was created in a purl row, the following sequence made the result look a bit neater. I slipped the first loop of the double stitch to the right hand needle, turned the second loop so that the front leg was now in the back and put the first loop back facing the same way (i.e. the former front leg was now in the back). Then I knitted both loops through the back loop.

Flap Heel when knitting toe-up: I used the formular given in this free pattern on Ravelry by Sarah Keller. But you can use the heel type you prefer.Other heel tutorials are:

Shadow Wrap Short Row Heel: A video by Miriam Felton that shows how to do a heel with shadow wraps can be found here on YouTube.

Instructions

First Sock

Toe

With the magic CO cast on 2x10 stitches

To get a rounded toe, my usual toe is:

4 x increases in every row

2 x increases in every 2nd row

2 x increases in every 3rd row

then increases every 4th row ... until wide enough

This means:

Round 1: Knit all - while placing stitch markers after 10 sts and at the end of the round - alternatively divide the stitches on your needles in such a way that you know exacly where one half of your stitches are.

I tend to knit up to a total of 56 stitches, but you might as well have 60, 64 etc. - depending on your size of foot.

Foot
Now it's time to start main pattern. It starts with a short rows sequence that includes a few increases, then a few diagonal rounds and finishes with a 2nd short row sequence where you decrease again.

Short rows part 1 - knitted back and forth:
Basically, each row is 2 sts shorter than the row below and every third row there is an increase on each side.

Row 1: k to 4 sts before the middle marker, kbelow, p to end marker, without turning continue and p to 4 before middle marker, pbelow, k to end marker
Row 2: k to 2 sts before last turn, kbelow, p to end marker, without turning continue and p to 2 before last turn, pbelow, k to end marker
Row 3: k to 3 sts before last turn, mk1, k1, kbelow, p to end marker, without turning continue and p to 3 before last turn, mk1p, p1, pbelow, k to end marker
Row 4: k to 3 sts before last turn, kbelow, p to end marker, without turning continue and p to 3 before last turn, pbelow, k to end marker
Repeat rows 2 to 4 until the last row consists of 2 x 2 sts. Depending on the number of stitches you started with, you may end with a row 2, row 3 or row 4.

Short rows part 2 - knitted back and forth:
Here, every row is 2 sts longer than the one below and there is a decrease on each side every third row. It's knitted around the middle marker.

Row 1: k to half marker, k2, kbelow, p to middle marker and continue without turning, p2, pbelow, k2
Row 2: k up to and including last turn, k1, kbelow, p to middle marker and continue without turning, p up to and including last turn, p1, p below, k to middle marker.
Row 3: k up to and including last turn, ssk, kbelow, p to middle marker and continue without turning, p up to and including last turn, p2tog, p below, k to middle marker.

Row 4: k up to and including last turn, k1, kbelow, p to middle marker and continue without turning, p up to and including last turn, p1, p below, k to middle marker.

Repeat rows 2 to 4, until the last row ends 1 or 2 sts before the middle marker - depending on whether you count the "below stitch".
Row 5: You are at the middle marker now: k to end marker

Now you should have the same stitch count that you started with.

Continue in plain stockinette until you need to start the heel.

Then knit your preferred kind of heel.

Cuff
I knitted straight stockinette (I like my sock cuffs rather short), but you can also repeat the short row pattern of the foot.

Ribbing
Knit 15 rows of p1k2p1-ribbing (i.e. k2p2 ribbing with an offset of 1 purl stitch) and bind off in pattern.

The second sock is knitted in the same way - except for the heel that is started on the other side.